Silver is trading at $32.18/oz, €25.73/oz and £20.32/oz. Platinum is trading at $1,563.50/oz, palladium at $636.50/oz and rhodium at $1,025/oz.

Cross Currency Table - (Bloomberg)

Gold edged up $3.50 or 0.21% in New York yesterday and closed at $1,695.30. Silver rose to $32.27 in Asia, slipped to $31.90 in London, and then hit a high of $32.40 in New York and finished with a gain of 1.84%.

Gold edged down overnight, but is not far from the 6 month high hit last session as weak economic data from the US bolstered hopes of further stimulus measures by central banks.

US manufacturing contracted at its fastest pace in more than three years in August and US construction spending dropped in July by the greatest amount in a year, the disappointing ISM index and construction spending data were released yesterday.

These reports ignite further hope for investors that Ben Bernanke will launch QE. Gold rose 4.5% in August and is now targeting the $1,700 price level again, the most since January, on speculation that the Federal Reserve will add to its $2.3 trillion bond-buying program.

Investors are awaiting the key US employment data due on Friday for further signals on the poor health of the US economy.

Bill Gross, the co-chief investment officer and founder of Pacific Investment Management Co., manager of the world’s biggest bond fund, said in a Twitter post yesterday that signs that the European Central Bank will also increase steps to boost economic growth are “very reflationary” and mean that investors should “buy gold, TIPS and real assets.”

Peaks in gold prices since 1975 have usually been associated with rising real interest rates.

Times when real interest rates fell in tandem with gold prices include 1987-1990 and 1996-2001.

Even though real rates are have risen slightly, they remain below their historical average and levels below 2% have still been supportive of rising gold prices.

The 2% real interest rate threshold has served as an inflection point for gold prices.

Gold prices languished from 1980 to 2000, when real rates stayed higher than 2%. While real rates were volatile during this time, gold prices continued to decline even as real rates were relatively unchanged.

Gold prices languished from 1980 to 2000 and had declining correlations with debt levels because GDP growth was sufficient to mute fears about budget and deficit issues. The current economic recovery has been too weak to support a sustained rise in real rates above the 2% level that has acted an inflection point for gold prices.

With energy and food inflation deepening and soon to affect consumer price indices, interest rates may have to rise significantly in order to restore real interest rates above 2%.

This is with ex Federal Reserve Chairman Volcker did in the late 1970’s - when he increased interest rates to above 15% in order to protect the dollar and aggressively tackle inflation.

It is unlikely that similar ‘hawkish’ monetary policy would be implemented by the Bernanke Fed today. It is unlikely that they would and even doubtful if they could – given the appalling fiscal situation and levels of debt in the US and global economy.

A continuing succession of higher real gold prices above the inflation adjusted high, or real record high, of $2,500/oz is likely until we see interest return to more normal levels and zero percent interest policies are supplanted by positive real interest rates.

NEWSWIRE(Bloomberg) -- Gold Seen by TD Securities Rising to $1,900 An Ounce in 2013 Gold may rise to $1,900 an ounce in the second half of 2013 from $1,775 in the fourth quarter, according to a presentation today by TD Securities Inc.

Silver may rise to $33 to $34 an ounce in the fourth quarter and $37 in the second quarter, the company said. Palladium will be in shortage this year and next year and platinum may move into shortage in 2013 and 2014, it said.

(Bloomberg) -- Gold’s Surplus: “Investment demand has filled the gap” Gold’s surplus will continue to grow this year to at least 2,100 metric tons this and may be valued at as much as $120 billion, Thomson Reuters GFMS said.

“This is not necessarily a condition for lower prices,” Philip Klapwijk, global head of metals analytics at GFMS, said today in a presentation in London. “Investment demand has filled the gap.”

(Bloomberg) -- China Seen by GFMS Overtaking India in 2012 as Top Gold Market China will likely overtake India as the world’s biggest gold market this year, Philip Klapwijk, global head of metals analytics at Thomson Reuters GFMS.

The expectation of higher prices may spur Chinese investors to buy more gold, he said today in a presentation in London. For breaking news and commentary on financial markets and gold, follow us on Twitter. NEWSGold futures seesaw with $1,700 in sight – Market Watch

Sheldan Nidel - We return with much to discuss. A great change in your banking system is getting ready to appear. As you know, a dark cabal runs your world by maintaining a tight grip on the global banking system, which in turn controls everything else. This grip has been loosened recently by the inflationary nature of its fiat currencies. Added to which, it is impossible to perpetuate a system based on debt and expect to simply add to the debt indefinitely, but this is precisely how your present financial system is expected to operate. In fact the true extent of the hidden debt accrued by this cabal is staggering.

Power, whether political or military, does not suffer from declining marginal utility. In fact, it's like a drug. The more that is present the more that is needed. And, as you point out, it displaces normal human needs and emotions. Lord Acton put it best: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."

Gold’s Surplus: “Investment demand has filled the gap”Gold’s surplus will continue to grow this year to at least 2,100 metric tons this and may be valued at as much as $120 billion, Thomson Reuters GFMS said.

Sure there will be, out it on the market, and the Chinese will suck it up like a NEW Hoover................idiots.

Been saying this for over a year. There is a very real cost for creating capital (regardless of whether it is simply stacked on a bankers desk and not spent- non-inflationary) as it implicitly depends on those paper promises delivering something of real value in the future. Banks, financial houses, and other paper-pusher don't actually know how to create anything of real value, yet this is where all the paper has been accumulating, hence the printing isn't very inflationary (to these kleptocrat fucks who get to spend it now) but it will be eventually.

Zero interest rates only work if deployed for a short period and only if the real innovators are also getting that money at the same low to zero interest rate.

Fuck the paper-pushers already, burn this shit down. Anyone who actually has a real skill set will be just fine.

Heard that! I have fixed an enormous amount of electronic devices and made some more than basic car repairs thanks to how-to videos on youtube! It has saved a ton and been fun, even with the capital expense for new tools and busted knuckle or two!

The tools are actually free since that is at least what you would have paid a "pro" to do the job. And the experience is priceless since that will be your asset forever (until Alzheimer pays a visit anyway).

"Replaced a thermal cut-off switch and high temp sensor in my clothes dryer last week."

Extremely well done. It's hard enough to isolate problems outside modern circuit boards. If you'd sought a "professionals" repair in the UK they would have quoted ridiculous prices to replace all the PCBs, failed to spot the real problem and eventually tell you that your machine is beyond repair after having charged you 90% of the price of a new machine for "labour".

I did a less complex repair on a fitted electric oven myself earlier this year. The two parts cost about $30.

I hear you on that. I can fix cars and computers if it really comes down to it. That is if the electricity stay on. People look to me and say that they can never do that. I tell them it was just a few screws and a anual and they look terrifed at the thought of that.

I agree with you. I would like to point out that those without skill sets will become a huge problem for those with skill sets and capable of taking care of themselves. And what I mean by "huge problem" is they will become physical threats to your security and safety. Plan accordingly.

Bright side: Some of the population problem will be solved as the not-so-mechanically-inclined will have electrocuted themselves or meet with some other horrible industrial-style demise. Survival of the mentally fittest doncha know. Maybe we could salt YouTube with some erroneous instructions on how to repair your wood chipper. Ultimately, it's for the sake of the children's' survival!

So long as the printed money remains in banks, financial houses, and other places secluded from the real economy, you are correct. But I think the forcoming wave of retirees might want to eat more than cat food, especially if they have been paying into the bullshit system for 40+ years. FAIL

But, in general, you are probably correct and nothing will really change until corporations and people start to default on contracts to deliver real commodities. At which point, it won't matter what the price is gold goes to because you won't find anyone willing to part with it.

In case you missed it, in order to "price" anything, someone must be willing to sell.

But the fiat currency that CBs create to buy govt. bonds now goes into the economy, whereas before the market took that money out of circulation to buy the bonds. Nett result is that when the govt. spends that money (created by their friendly, tame, CB) that equals money printing (i.e. the debt is monetised). When bonds are bought increasingly by created CB fiat that money has velocity (i.e. the govt. spends it on real things) - that's the inflationary time-bomb (or one of them, at least).

I don't know if the negative interest rate argument holds water. Negative interest rates for who? Only the wall street banks. I'm paying a positive interest rate for all the money that I borrow. My companys pays 13% interest on its term loan.

so they listed the median income of silver buyers in the Mint reports? Again, I'm not disputing silver sales figures - I'm only questioning whether the average person is responsible for them. Try to be a little more rigorous in your arguments and a little less emotional.

exactly. And understanding how the average person is investing is an important clue to the stage of the cycle silver is in. When the shoeshine boy (does he count as average?) starts buying silver, that tells us something. OP confuses my genuine curiosity with a personal attack on him - all too common on ZH, I'm afraid.

The "shoeshine boy" doesn't have any left over money to buy anything. Most Americans live paycheck (or unemployment check) to paycheck. All the cash flow is spent on needs and wants. Most Americans don't "invest" in anything, unless it is forced through some retirement plan at work.

The 'shoeshine boy' buying silver... HA! That's a good one... I think it's an old throwover from the "taxi cab driver giving out stock tips" mentality from the 80's, 90's (& probably long before)...

It just goes to show you how difficult it is to shed old thought processes... Naturally ~ stories like that are wedded to an INVESTMENT/PROFIT meme (when actually, the ideas about owning PM's nowadays have little to do with investment/profit & much more to do with a collapsing fiat paper regime)...

You hit the nail on the head. Most Americans are too poor, dumb or busy working to understand gold or silver. Ive been yapping about it for 12-15 years and know a only a handful of people that have listened and bought some. I'm sure that holds true for any PM holder here at ZH.

I saw the writing on the wall with PM with an anonymous message. We have moved 60% of our investment into PMs and have learned a lot in the process. I even found this website through PM searces for forums. Silver is a great buy at any price right now, the ratio of silver:gold is at 52.4:1. This is way to high and the reality is digital fiat silver and gold. This is all new to me and probably old hat to you. No matter what, I am buying physical and mixing a protfolio of PMS: platinum, paladium, silver and gold. It's never too late and if you are holding for the medium to long term, it's the only hedge against the REAL inflation.

-1 Exactly what? The average people don't have to buy it themselves, their 401k's and pension funds and local banks' associated hedgers will do it for them. Just as with bonds at auction, how many average people visit their local Federal Reserve on a Wednesday morning to buy T-bills at auction? Their bankers and brokers do it for them. So that investment demand is proxy demand. Most average people have no clue what rolls down the pyramid into their various accounts.

BTW, humanity will never stop finding new applications for silver in industry and chemistry. It is an exceptional element and rare at that. The potential as an investment is in many ways more profound than that of gold, which is more of a simple, inert store of purchasing power and insurance against inflationary prices.

And this is all before you even consider that silver is now in constant backwardation, as opposed to alternating backwardation bookending delivery months, and before you consider that the physical market is TINY in size, and before you consider that many market watchers (most recently Bill Murphy who was interviewed on Kitco recently) are noting that delays and numbers on delivered bars indicate that silver is passing unusually quickly from the mine to the customer with the fewest possible stops in between.

Negative interest rates means that pension and social security and medicare obligations will be increasingly more difficult to sustain. Sooner or later, there will be massive printing to solve this problem which should be bullish for gold and silver. Gold to $2500 means silver at $60 to $65 an ounce.

Is it curious to anyone else that the traditional 16:1 gold to silver ratio is now the oil to gold "peg"? Keep in mind that it's a ratio that would equally apply to a $100 silver price as it would to a $500 gold price post-reset.

Prior volatility and takedown raids resulted in forced liquidations due to reserve requirements. That's no longer the case with a gold-fortified balance sheet. Make sure to check the minimum height requirement before jumping on this roller coaster and as always... Stay thirsty XX.

I'll take the other side of that trade, Alex. Jawboning by the ECB and Fed does not a inflationary situation make. Deflation is in command and will be for some time as govt tightens spending and wages stay flat. and before I get that "food inflation"crap-I am still paying $1.25 for a dozen eggs,$2 for milk and $1.25 for wheat bread like I have for the last 10 years. gas is cheaper on an inflation adjusted basis than it was since the 70s. real estate values are dropping and the farm ground bubble will pop. gold bugs/commodities/jim rogers wiil be crushed

what part of "the same" don't you understand? a gallon is still a gallon, a dozen is still a dozen and a loaf is stiil the same size. I'll buy your shiny metal-when gold is back to $500/oz and silver is at $5/oz in a few years

Costs in the food supply chain are highly subsidized. Prices to the end consumer are distorted. Hence the uproar (e.g. GATA) over price discovery on the commodity exchanges.

The oil shortage in the 70's was a bargaining tactic. Notice how gasoline price decreases and PM price increases were not so far removed from one another. This bears study in the current situation.

Real estate prices are dropping in most markets. Potential value is implicit based on the energy costs to move about and find work and food over time. Whether or not that value is realized in the nominal price is exclusive of this implicit value. Nominal price is a function of the interplay between buyers and sellers. The great mistake is to confuse price and value. Value is the noun, price is an adjective.

otto - you could be correct...HOWEVER... food inflation (poultry particularly, vegetables, fruits) is here and is going to go much higher. has to simply because of regulations, distribution costs (includes security) and because they can raise prices.

Jimmy Rogers (and me humble self...ahem), understand the deflation side of your argument. The salient point is that Gov'ts and CB's are deathly afraid of deflation (they should be given all the bankruptcies that would occur, and all those Swap and CDS contracts that wopuld default).

Ergo, Gov'ts and CBs will do everything, and yes I mean everything, to prevent deflation. Alas and alack they will do the politically expedient thing and print money (in different means and ways).

It will hit a tipping point (Obama re-election - which is still the likely outcome at the moment (if one believes Ladbrokes) or given a Romney win - a respite but then global socio-economic eruptions (See Europe) because of anticipated faux austerity in the US and the impact on the loose policies in economies abroad. E.G. - Emerging markets will crumble under Romney, and US rates rise toward positive interest rates.

There is a whole lotta excrement coming down the global large intestine. Cannot see anything holding back the inexorable rise in PMs...except Force Majeure, and even this could be bullish for PMs.

You must be a very canny (or lucky!) shopper then. I compare & note (food) price increases these days & have seen an average 15-20% rise on common food stuffs in the past 2 years. Gas/electric prices have nearly doubled & vehicle fuel is up 30%. I do live in the UK though, so all isn't comparable of course, & don't doubt recent (ish) dollar apprecaition may give a different price profile for you. You won't miss out forever though!

As a fellow UK resident I agree but I think foodstuffs alone this year to date are in many cases 20-50% Some things which are more stable (for me) are milk, potatoes and errr, I think that's it. Huge price rises for utilities and, bizarrely, shop made co-op pizza, +100%

If you are mainly a vegetarian, can judge the quality of produce and shop with a local grower directly (or with the poor folks) you can keep your costs way down. Just stay away from corporate food and spend a little time preparing your meals.

and before I get that "food inflation"crap-I am still paying $1.25 for a dozen eggs,$2 for milk and $1.25 for wheat bread like I have for the last 10 years. gas is cheaper on an inflation adjusted basis than it was since the 70s. real estate values are dropping and the farm ground bubble will pop. gold bugs/commodities/jim rogers wiil be crushed

You must live in Podunk then,eggs are still relativley stable,milk is (best price) close to $3.00gal, and Wheat bread, is nearly 3.00 a loaf,unless you eat the sawdust mix variety.

What is the increase in ALL meats?.

Hell, chicken is $5.00 for a whole fryer,and beef is off the charts.

Advise pls so I can move there,where u live.

Food,& Fuel costs are the #1 concern for most Americans............and they are not EVER counted in the CPI figures.

Also, NO WAY the interest rates can rise.............not with a 16T national debt.The interest alone will murder us.

Wipe your Ass Start the wood stoveWallpaper your bedroom ceilingMake a PiñataTell folks that the government stands behind it unlike Gold which backed only by Gold. Denomination increases over time to BillionsNot cold or too heavy for G StringsFar easier to counterfeitBurn proof up to 1 hour in most home safesFloats if it falls in the toilet Can write “For a good time call Piggy” on itWon’t blow the tire on a wheel barrowFold and make a mushroom out of George Washington’s headAbsorbs dye during bank robberiesMade from a renewable source that grows in your own yard

GoldCore, more gobbledegook from you. You're throwing everything in an article but the kitchen sink, it's not got a story line or makes for easy reading. You say,

"Gold rose 4.5% in August and is now targeting the $1,700 price level again, the most since January, on speculation that the Federal Reserve will add to its $2.3 trillion bond-buying program."

You think any serious investor buys Gold on the basis of speculation the Fed is going to print? Are investors Pavlovs Dogs buying and selling Gold by hanging on every word bubble Ben speaks?? Do you have a survey to hand to substantiate this Fed-centric buying pattern?

Aha. So investors are buying on Fed speculation AND speculation on interest rates. Again do you have the research to determine this buying pattern? Course you do, you're a 'Pro', so let's see your research.

And yes, yes, Gold's going to rise to $2,500 Oz, are you saying by Christmas or sometime before 2042?

As you know GC, timing is everything. It's not so much where Gold is going to go, fixated at one point in time for 10 minutes on a trading screen, but all the friggin about in between that'll kill you.

Being a Pro and our bestest friend you do have your chart to hand to show us your calculations and approx date for $2,500 Gold yes?

Reuters, Bloomberg, Reuters, Bloomberg, Reuters, Bloomberg

Thanks for the round-up of speculative opinion, spin and innuendo from the Monopolist Matrix media machine. You're the "fiercely independent" type. Hope you wear your Wellington boots when you shovel this stuff our way

no you are wrong...this article states that 'on paper' gold is worth $2500. it isnt. failed mortgages on paper are valued at 100% which is bs. goldbugs must be getting desparate to start using bs to promote gold.

It is amazing just how friggin' CLUELESS people are of gold and silver. It is so rare to find someone who understands that gold and silver are NOT INVESTMENTS; rather MONEY. Gold and silver are to TRANSITION one's earned wealth from the OLD monetary system to the NEW monetary system, when it happens. The crap about not being able to EAT gold is more of the PARROTS speaking. One STORES his/her wealth IN gold and silver. Gold is NOT to be spent during the transition, silver is to be spent, if necessary. My gawd, the ABJECT IGNORANCE is what will make the coming monetary collapse so apocalyptic for the masses.

"Peaks in gold prices since 1975 have usually been associated with rising real interest rates." And when bond vigilantes inevitable move to the trans-Atlantic banking system's core, this following their decimation of its periphery over the past few years coinciding with ill-advised central bank hyperinflation? Not only will every central bank be overwhelmed, they will be forced to accelerate their hyperinflationary policy. Gold? Its purchasing power no less crushed along with other financial assets, this out of desperation and the common fact none is food to eat.

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